Bad news: 'The Handmaid's Tale' S3 has been delayed

New episodes won't air until later than usual this year
- byGavin Scott

12 Feb
2019

Possibly even more controversial than June's (Elisabeth Moss) decision to hand baby Holly/Nicole over to Emily (Alexis Bledel) in the dying moments of The Handmaid's Tale's second season is the news that the drama series will return later than anticipated for Season 3. Watch the teaser trailer below.

The previous two seasons of the dystopian drama set in a nightmare version of America called Gilead have premiered in April, and the expectation was that Season 3 would do the same. Not so. Instead, the series will follow June's quest to rescue her other daughter, Hannah (Jordana Blake), will return this year in June.

The official reason given is "to give the show enough time to maintain the incredibly high standards of storytelling set in seasons one and two," according to Craig Erwich from US network Hulu. "Maintaining the quality of The Handmaid's Tale, which is impeccable, takes time."

Suggestions that The Handmaid's Tale was moving back its usual airdate to avoid clashing with the final season of Game of Thrones, which would be fair enough, were dismissed, with The Hollywood Reporter having that claim specifically denied by the network.

In an earlier teaser trailer for Season 3 (which you can watch above), June was glimpsed dressed as a Martha, the class of female servants who aided her near-escape in the Season 2 finale. When the series does finally return, we can expect June to remain hidden in Gilead as a Martha as she tries to bring about a greater resistance movement and free Hannah from the oppressive regime.

The Handmaid's Tale Season 3 will air on SBS in June.

Gavin ScottA pop culture enthusiast from a young age, Gavin is equally passionate about great pop music (’80s synthpop, ’10s dream pop), gripping TV series (Friday Night Lights, The Handmaid’s Tale) and trips to the cinema (I love a blockbuster as much as anyone, but I’m done with the superhero thing).